In Oakland, the IRS Criminal Investigation division solves crimes by following the money

When dealing with criminal street gangs like East Oakland’s Case Gang, law enforcement agencies may want to know where the money to fund illegal activities is coming from and how it’s being used.

Enter the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation division.

It’s not a typical operation for the federal agency, but 14 agents from its Criminal Investigation arm played a role in serving warrants to 17 members of the Case Gang last Friday in a large, multi-agency operation that was part of Oakland’s Operation Ceasefire. The nationally-known violence reduction program gives offenders with histories of gun violence a chance to change their behavior and receive community support and social services, or else face increased attention from law enforcement.

The March 8 law enforcement operation was the “follow through of that promise” for the Case Gang, said Oakland Police Department Deputy Chief Eric Breshears at a press conference last week. The Case Gang is an offshoot of the Nut Case Gang, an Oakland gang most famous for the random acts of violence members committed during a 10-week crime spree in the early 2000s that left five dead and many wounded.